Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Those of you who have read this column before are bound to have noticed that at the end of each article there is a definition of a Costa Rican expression or tiquismo. The purpose of including these words is to familiarize readers with these frequently used expressions. You won’t find their meanings in most Spanish dictionaries.

birra - beer
brete - work
chapa - any coin or a dumb person
estar de chicha - to be angry
chingo - nude
chunche - any ‘thing’
chulo - a person who lives off others
harina - money
jupa - head
macho - a person with blonde hair
maje - dumb or a young man (slang)
matar la culebra - waste time
paja - b.s.
pinche - a tight-fisted person
paño - towel
clavar el pico - to fall asleep
agarrar de maje - to deceive someone
ponerse hasta la mecha - get drunk
torta - a big mistake or error
¡Pura vida! - Fantastic! Great!

Costa Rican expression of the week: cachos is a slang word for shoes.

If you are seriously trying to learn Spanish here are some local usages of the language which are apt to confuse you. Here are a few.

Gato is not only a cat but is a mechanical jack to lift up your car. In Costa Rica you will hear the word gata instead of the correct word, gato.

Suéter is the word most commonly used for sweater in correct Spanish. In Costa Rica you will hear the sueta.

Lejos means far in Spanish. Costa Ricans often say “largo” instead of lejos for “far.” Largo is only to be used when referring to the length of something.

Haya is the subjunctive form of the verb hay (there is or there are). In Costa Rica you will ofteen hear “haiga”

Bache is a hole in the ground of pothole. Costa Ricans often use the verb bachear to refer to the filling of potholes. Logically bachear would mean to make holes in a surface.

Cerradura is the word for a lock in Spanish. In Costa Rica you will hear the word “llavín ” which is a really a “picaporte” or a kind of hooked latch.

Banco means a bank or a bench. Costa Ricans ofter use banca when referring to a bench. A banca is usually a bench that doesn’t have a back on it. By the way the word banca also means banking.

Refrigerador or nevera means refrigerator. In Costa Rica you will hear la refrigeradora or la refri.

Tiquismos of the week:
Enchilarse is to burn ones mouth as a result of eating spicy foot, hot sauce or hot chili peppers.
Chile means a hot pepper, joke or disappointment in Costa Rica